Australia has called on Indonesia to better manage its borders, in a harsh rebuke to Jakarta’s demand for answers to allegations that Canberra paid off the crew of a migrant smuggling boat to return the vessel to Indonesian shores. The stinging response on Monday by Australian Foreign Minister Julie Bishop came after her Indonesian counterpart Retno Marsudi expressed concern on Saturday that if... 

Image from NO McDonalds in The Dandenong Ranges Facebook page. The Australian state of Victoria’s parliament passed a bill giving police power to suppress protests, including ordering a rally to move on based on a suspicion that it may turn violent. Opponents call the powers excessive and undemocratic. The Summary Offences and Sentencing Amendment Bill passed through the upper house of the Victorian... 

Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd says if the Labor Party is reelected, he will hold a referendum on the recognition of the country’s Aborigines in the constitution. On Wednesday, during the 50th anniversary of the indigenous land rights movement, Rudd said the recognition of the Aboriginal people as Australia’s first inhabitants was a key priority. “I therefore, as prime minister, want... 

Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard has been defeated by former Premier Kevin Rudd in a Labor Party leadership vote. Former Prime Minister Rudd won the vote of the Labor caucus 57 to 45, reports on Wednesday said. The prime minister is expected to resign on Thursday, before Rudd is sworn in. Gillard said a leadership vote for the Labor Party would be held... 

The Fall of Labor Could Clear a Path for Attacking Iran. The splitting of the Labor Party, with Defense Minister Ehud Barak forming a new, more hawkish bloc and the less enthusiastic members likely moving into the opposition will remove from the Netanyahu government any pretense of being a “broad coalition” and will cement its right-far-right reputation at home and abroad. The fall of Labor can...